.png)
The G.O.A.T. 100 #92 | The Undertaker
- Peter Edge
- May 21
- 19 min read
Updated: May 24
Welcome to the G.O.A.T. 100 where we will count down with PWM wrestling historian Peter Edge the 100 greatest wrestlers of all time, based on many different stats and criteria. A new wrestler will be added on Mondays and Thursdays every week. Here is a link to an introduction essay with Peter explaining his GOAT100 concept. At the bottom of the article you can find the GOAT 100 Portal with links to all profiles so far published, as well as a visual key... Enjoy learning more about the history of our great hobby!
This might be the first “Really?” from you guys reading this list so far I'm guessing?
I can understand why. Opinions on The Undertaker and his work in the ring overall in his career are as fraught as people’s views on the last 10 years of politics in the United Kingdom. He is put forward as one of the faces of the toxicity backstage in the WWF/E with the "wrestler's court" that he implemented as locker room leader. His reluctance to make people look good in the early 00s made him a despised figure to smart fans and his work from 1992-1996 made said smart fans roll their eyes just as far as Mark Calaway did.
Putting it straight, if the World Wrestling Federation is the Death Star, then The Undertaker was its Grand Moff Tarkin.
But there is no gimmick in wrestling that resonates with its audience as much as the Dead Man did in the 90s, and he must have been a hell of a babyface worker if he could get a bunch of kids to cheer someone who in WWF canon had a part-time job of making coffins.
So, let me make my case why The Undertaker is one of the greatest 100 wrestlers of all time.
The story of Mark Calaway revolves around just one word: Undertaker.
Mark might have been “Punisher” Dice Morgan on tours of New Japan, “Master of Pain” in Memphis in 1989, (where he was one of many to feud with Jerry Lawler) and was “Mean” Mark Callous in WCW in 1990 where he was managed by Paul Heyman, but it was a time so nondescript that many probably haven't seen a single match from Calaway in any of those three guises.
He seemed destined to be a mid-card guy for life, someone who would probably make a living yet not get anywhere near superstardom. That's what makes the next 30 years so unbelievable.
Even when he came out at Survivor Series 1990 as the mystery partner in Ted DiBiase's team in a traditional Survivor Series match… he might have had a small bit of aura as the kids call it, but nobody would've predicted he'd go on to become what he did. In a world where over-the-top gimmicks were one of the main USPs of WWF – while The Undertaker was one of the more fascinating ones in early 1991 – the idea it'd be one of the biggest in Fed history seemed laughable.
It was the kind of gimmick that wouldn't last more than six months back in the territory days. Any old-school promoter would've asked: What would happen when he lost? You couldn't turn him face? And you'd need an elite worker to work around him? All those points could be easily made. Yet all three obstacles would end up being navigated around… eventually.
That first full year of the 'Taker in 1991 saw a win over Jimmy Snuka at 'Mania 7, an implementation in big feuds (as he was a big part of the heel turn of Jake Roberts) and then his feud with Randy Savage.
He was involved in some of the darker moments in WWF history in a time that is underrated for landmark moments in wrestling history. Undertaker locked Ultimate Warrior in a casket, helped ruin the reception of Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth, and came out of a casket to attack Hulk Hogan in three moments that were a massive departure from the fairytale land that WWF had become in the Hulkamania era.
That last moment was the starting point of an angle leading to a Hulk Hogan title defense at Survivor Series (just one year after his debut) in which Hogan was surely going to vanquish the monster of the month and move on.
The title change that happened (albeit with help from Ric Flair) was shocking. This massive gimmick was holding the Winged Eagle belt and while that reign only lasted a few days after a rematch saw Hogan take the urn, (a funereal part of 'Taker’s presentation) empty it and throw the ashes into 'Taker's eyes to get a roll-up win. (It's on learning years afterward that – in canon – those were his parents' ashes, that you realize that Hulk – also in canon – is a massive "Country member", and we do all remember!) However transitional that reign might have been, it was obvious that Mark Calaway and his undertaker gimmick were going to be part of the Titan Sports furniture for a while yet.
The babyface turn came quicker than most people would have ever imagined. Just 15 months after his debut in the company, Undertaker became a face after stopping Jake from hitting Miss Elizabeth with a chair. The resulting match was a way to see Jake Roberts written off TV with a tombstone piledriver on the outside … but it was the pop that night that was the story. The volume of pop Undertaker got from the crowd that night was second only to Hulk Hogan's. The Undertaker character was going to work as a babyface. Somehow, it turned out that the demo of fans who followed the WWF loved to cheer for a guy who worked in the death industry.
Undertaker would be among the Most Popular Wrestler listings in the PWI awards over the next few years. The formula of scary monsters being vanquished by the “7-ft” deadman really worked for the fanbase. It was Kaiju vs. Kaiju played out in a wrestling ring with Undertaker defending the WWF from monsters like Kamala, Berzerker, Yokozuna and King Kong Bundy. The problem was that this run of the Undertaker was more Roland Emmerich’s (much maligned) version of everyone’s favorite nuclear-empowered monster in 1998 than Gareth Edwards’s classic.
From 1992 to the end of 1995, Undertaker had just two 3-star+ matches (vs. Bam Bam Bigelow at x to to WrestleMania IX and vs. Jeff Jarrett on the 29th May, 1995 episode of Monday Night Raw) The level of guys he was put into feuds with in this time didn’t help with the perception of poor match quality. The man who was the winner of Best Gimmick in the Observer Awards from 1990 to 1994 also won Worst Feud in 1993 for his runs with Giant Gonzales and had Bottom 10 placings for feuds with Kamala in 1992, Yokozuna in 1994 and separately both Mabel and Kama (no relation to "Kamala") in 1995.
Taker got stuck in that "kaiju" hole and was booked in situations that fitted his formula in the sports-entertainment mould… but just weren't actually very good. The template for the Undertaker feud was: monster attacks 'Taker, 'Taker looks vulnerable, 'Taker says Rest In Peace a lot, 'Taker wins feud by closing a casket on the monster. It was a template that wouldn’t be deviated from until 1996 with the entrance of Mankind to WWF.
I’ll go into Mick Foley and his impact on The Undertaker and WWF as a whole in his own bio, but on 'Taker’s side, the feud he had with Mick Foley and his Mankind character changed the way fans thought of The Undertaker. His vulnerability lasted longer. Matches between the pair saw 'Taker needing to find a new gameplan in order to compete.
It was at Summerslam 1996 that The Undertaker would see his longtime companion and manager Paul Bearer turn heel on him… and it was the best thing that ever happened to 'Taker. Gone was the OTT character that was Bearer… A harder edge came to the Undertaker character… The lore of the urn was gone… The whole gimmick and look changed. There were swings and misses. (The Dominatrix 'Taker look that debuted at Survivor Series 1996 didn’t last long.) But the progression of the character throughout the early part of 1997 saw its zenith at Wrestlemania 13.
Behind the scenes, chaos was winning the day as the original plans for that 'Mania were waylaid by Shawn Michaels losing his smile. Bret Hart vs.Shawn Michaels wasn’t an option anymore. Hart's matchup got moved to Austin, Sid was now champ, and he needed a challenger for 'Mania 13’s main event… Enter Undertaker.
One of the reasons that The Undertaker in his first 5 years as a babyface wasn't given a run with any title was: “he didn't need a title, he’s The Undertaker”. But as the chaos was unfolding in the main event scene leading up to 'Mania, it was pretty clear that Winged Eagle needed The Undertaker: a stabilizing force while Shawn and Bret were at loggerheads, Austin was still a year away from his coronation, Vader wouldn't lose weight or wash his clothes and Sid was Sid.
Undertaker was the right option to hold the WWF Title and while Hart vs. Austin was the most memorable match of that night (and of the 90s in WWF) 'Taker getting the main title was the happy ending of happy endings for fans.
It was (if you conveniently forget) like that great golfer finally winning a major after years of getting so close yet so far. The reign itself wasn't memorable. A Mankind match at Revenge of the 'Taker was memorable for a gnarly Mankind bump and a fireball spot that was botched. Austin at Cold Day in Hell was fine… a title defense against Vader at Canadian Stampede was the sole low point in what was the finest 2-hour-long "In Your House". But it was the final defence of this reign that saw another pivot point in 'Taker's career.
An errant Shawn Michaels chair shot would cost 'Taker the title in a match against Bret Hart. That event set off a feud with Michaels that set the future of DX, sowed the seeds of the Montreal Screwjob and was the start of the Attitude Era.
A chair shot to the head in a tag match with Michaels and Triple H vs. 'Taker and Mankind saw 'Taker juice. A Ground Zero: IYH match between HBK and 'Taker is one of the more underrated matches in WWE history, for all its chaotic structure. The Hell in a Cell match that followed a month later is one of the most famous matches in Titan history.
Its last 10 minutes is one of the most spectacular final stanzas of a match ever, from Michaels's blade job, the fight on top of the HIAC structure, to the final moment of the match which would start the most defining feud of Undertaker's career – for better or for worse.
As a Spurs fan, (Ed: Peter is British – he does not mean San Antonio) I'll confess that I might have shouted “It's gotta be Kane!” once or twice at times when Harry Kane scored a goal for Tottenham Hotspur. The moment when Kane was unveiled for the first time was a moment anticipated for months after the revelation that the (lore dump) baby brother who had died with the rest of 'Taker's family when he was a child in the house fire started by playing with matches (this is why video games are a good thing people!) actually wasn't dead after all.
The red-suited Kane who cost Undertaker that HIAC match would become an important character in the story of the Undertaker. Their Wrestlemania XIV bout is actually a good match on rewatch and Undertaker’s best 'Mania match to that point. Their Inferno Match the following month – not quite as much, even with the memorable spectacle of the occasion.
Undertaker moved back to the main event scene and into the Austin vs. McMahon feud that was the hottest in wrestling at the time. Kane and Undertaker would form part of the story with an Austin vs. Undertaker World Title match having the backstory of suspicion that 'Taker and Kane might be in cahoots.
While 'Taker came away without the title, the bond with his brother was back, as the pair transitioned into the role of allied heels gunning for Stone Cold with the help of McMahon, leading up to the “brothers” breaking McMahon’s ankle in another “Attitude Era Special” angle.
Late in the year, he turned his brother face in a betrayal that set Undertaker up for his 1999 as the leader of the Ministry in which he tried to make Vince McMahon’s life hell. An angle in which Undertaker kidnapped Stephanie and tried to marry her against her will happened while she was tied to a cross, sorry…I meant symbol. Of course Vince Russo being Vince Russo and the Attitude Era being the Attitude Era, months of talk of a Higher Power controlling things saw a conclusion with Vince McMahon being that Higher Power.
It doesn't have to make sense if millions of people are watching I guess. (Isn't that Michael Bay's motto when it comes to filmmaking?)
Undertaker would win the WWF Title at Over The Edge on a night when the real-world tragedy of Owen Hart’s death overshadowed everything. The one-month reign would end the night after King of the Ring in what was the most-watched match in WWF cable-television history up to that point, and then failed to recapture in an Attitude-Era-special rematch in their First Blood match at Fully Loaded.
Two months later, the groin injury that he had been carrying for months caused 'Taker to tap out and get surgery. After what was the longest time away from the ring in years, (since the seven-month holiday that 'Taker took post the infamous Royal Rumble 1994 angle in which he lost a Casket Match and went home to his planet) Undertaker came back with a new look that was a massive departure from the previous decade.
"Biker 'Taker" divides opinion. The pops Undertaker would get from the fans in the building whenever he came out to his rocking walkout songs, (first "American Bad Ass" and then "Rollin’") riding his chopper dressed in denim from head to toe (maybe he was a B*Witched fan) can't be denied – but neither can the mediocre quality of his work… or was it his selfishness?
Two months back at Fully Loaded, Undertaker’s one-sided win over Kurt Angle showed how much (or even less) he was giving opponents, especially compared to how much Triple H and The Rock gave Chris Jericho and Benoit respectively on that night. Even Kane was a victim to 'Taker's reign of terror, as he got a one-sided beating at Summerslam after Kane turned on him in the month before that show.
The "WCW Invasion" storyline really brought out the worst in 'Taker though. WCW stars were introduced to a new WWF audience by being squashed rather than elevated. Diamond Dallas Page and Kanyon were made to look really inferior as the summer dragged on. September of 2001 saw a dreadful match with Kane (yes, they were back together) vs. the team of Kronik. Undertaker would win Least Popular Wrestler by the Observer subscribers in their end-of-2001 awards.
Once the Invasion storyline ended, 5 of the 10 in the traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match had switched sides in the heel/face divide but of those 5, The Undertaker was the most surprising. For some reason, one of the more popular wrestlers on the WWF roster among those who paid to watch events, was turned heel. While 'Taker was interesting in his role, it was still a jarring juxtaposition after 18 months of 'Taker getting one of the biggest pops in the building every night.
A victory over Ric Flair at Wrestlemania X-8 was followed by his 4th WWF/E Title when he beat Hulk Hogan for the belt. That reign lasted two months before losing the title to The Rock in a Triple Threat Match that also included Kurt Angle – a Top-10 Match of 2002.
By the time autumn came, Undertaker was back as a face entering a feud with Brock Lesnar which culminated in a Hell in a Cell match which is a contender for being in the Rushmore of HIAC Matches with a gorgeous 1.0 on the Muta Scale of bladejobs from 'Taker.
2003 was rather dull for 'Taker. His 'Mania match might be the toughest to recall on a Sporcle quiz on Undertaker’s WrestleMania matches when he beat A-Train and Big Show in a handicap match after Nathan Jones (the Aussie giant, not the nutter soccer manager) was taken out of the match for being too shite even for 00s WWE. A feud with John Cena was his second-best moment of the year, only behind his final match as Biker 'Taker: a Buried Alive match featuring a vicious chair shot to Vince McMahon’s head which resulted in a disgusting 1.4 Muta Scale running of the blade. The end of the match saw Kane attack 'Taker (yes, they fell out again. I have to say – writing about the Brothers of Destruction, I feel relieved that I ended up with no siblings) and buried his brother alive. It was pretty obvious that 'Taker and Kane would face off at the next 'Mania.
WrestleMania XX saw the return of The Undertaker to his original guise. With Paul Bearer and his urn, with the long coat, the hat and the funereal orchestral theme that had dominated his presentation for the first 8 years of his WWF career, (until an electric guitar version of said theme crept up, because Attitude Era) – the original 'Taker was back. But with a little variance in the mix.
This version of The Undertaker can be best summed up as: MMA 'Taker. With the fingerless gloves best associated with MMA and with Michael Cole reminding us every match that The Undertaker was “the best striker in the game”. Despite a slow start to this run where Paul Heyman was blackmailing Undertaker so he could manage him, (someone was mad that Mean Mark had left his side, I guess) and a flirtation with Kaiju-era 'Taker with a feud with the Frankenstein-esque monster Heidenreich, we soon started to see a dominant new aspect of the Undertaker's presentation. As the road to WrestleMania 21 started, the story of The Streak came into focus for an Undertaker match for the first time.
It wasn't the very first time The Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak had been mentioned…. Talk about it started at 13 with Jim Ross (in his role as the third man in commentary) talking about 'Taker having yet to lose at “The Granddaddy of Them All”. Mentions of said streak would pop up sporadically at various Undertaker 'Mania matches. But when Randy Orton took the mic on an episode of Raw, we saw something new. This wasn't just commentary making a statistical note. Randy had one objective: to defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania 21 and take the streak.
The match itself was good and the teases of an Orton win were well-executed, especially the moment when Randy hit the RKO (out of nowhere?) for a near-fall. The aftermath saw a feud with Orton throughout 2005.
The following year, for the final time, a calendar year saw its most remembered Undertaker moment as something non-'Mania related. A duo of matches with Kurt Angle were 4.25 stars which were the best 'Taker matches in this new variant until 'Mania 25… but infamously the feud with Mohamed Hassan saw his henchmen attack The Undertaker wearing gear associated with jihad in an angle that unfortunately aired on the same fateful day as the 7/7 attacks in London. This tasteless angle won for The Undertaker the WON Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic award.
From 2007 onwards, each WrestleMania was the main focus of The Undertaker’s year.
The match against Batista at 23 stole the show buried in the middle of the card amongst The Battle of the Billionaires Hair vs. Hair Match that involved Vince and future US tyrant Donald Trump. The Last Man Standing rematch 4 weeks later would better that 'Mania contest, in another new tradition associated with 'Mania: the Backlash Curse, which sees WrestleMania rematches the following month improve on the stadium show.
The feud with Batista would finish 3rd in my Feud of the Year rankings for 2007, as did the feud with Edge the following year. Their 'Mania 24 match was 4.25 stars, with just one of other 4 matches the pair had in 2008 being better – the Summerslam HIAC match (4.5).
It was when WrestleMania 25 happened that the stakes ratcheted up even more. 'Taker-Michaels in Phoenix would have been 5 stars had it not been for the moment when Sim Snuka (the son of legendary Jimmy, working as an extra, planted as a cameraman) failed to catch 'Taker properly on a plancha. It was voted as the greatest Wrestlemania match of all time by WWE’s YouTube page in 2025 and while I disagree (Hart vs. Austin at 13 is the right answer) its multiple-near-fall final third was an evolution of the style seen in All Japan in the late 90’s and taken to WWE by Motoko Baba’s favourite gaijin turned WWE producer, Johnny Ace.
A rematch was set up for the year after with Undertaker ending the career of Michaels in a Streak vs. Career Match. While not as good as the prior year, the 2010 match is still a Top 10 MOTY placing… even if Matt Striker on commentary being Matt Striker makes you want to punch the TV several times.
The nickname "Mr. WrestleMania" is something that had long been associated with Shawn Michaels for all his great moments in the “Grandaddy of them All” – that ladder match against Razor Ramon at Wrestlemania X, the entrance at 12 before the Iron Man, fighting through debilitating back pain at 14… plus classics at 19, 20 and 21, all helping earn him the name. But there is an argument that The Undertaker is the true Mr. WrestleMania (without even considering the kayfabe streak) with his matches against Kane at 14, Batista at 23, Edge at 24, the two Michaels matches, the two Triple H matches and Punk at 29 – in my opinion every one of them is the best match at its respective WrestleMania.
The next two 'Manias saw Triple H take his shot at the streak – something that was now almost as important as the two world titles in the company. I really like the first of the two at 'Mania 27. Yes, it plays into every correct conception about Paul Levesque there is, and of course Triple H had to be the guy who gave 'Taker the beating of his life only for 'Taker to get the win out of nowhere… but that moment when Trips hit the tombstone, did the Undertaker pin and all the existential crises of every fan in those 2.99 secs who thought Reign of Terror 2.0 was about to begin … is very funny to watch again in 2026.
The “End of an Era” Hell in a Cell Match between the two at 'Mania 28 wasn't as good as people think it is. The overwrought storytelling (that would soon become a fixture of black-and-gold NXT-ism) overwhelms this match. The “farewell” spot post match was an attempt to manipulate people into getting teary-eyed with the thought that it'd be over for everyone involved … which only those with the simplest wrestling IQ would buy.
(Is this the right time for me to point out that my dad cried at this moment?)
'Mania 29 saw the Streak at such a level in the company's pecking order that on an episode of Raw, they had a “winner faces Undertaker at 'Mania” multi-man match to decide 'Taker's opponent. CM Punk would win.
The match was so cold, Paul Bearer had to die to get something that had resemblance to heat into the build. That heat would be Punk stealing the urn that hadn't been part of Undertaker's presentation for 8 years and then bathe himself in what we were led to believe were Bearer’s ashes. (The performer behind the "Paul Bearer" character – who had been off and on a very important part of Undertaker's mythos and presentation for decades – had recently passed away in real life.) Beats snorting them like Keith Richards did with his mom's ashes, I guess.
That Punk match was the last great 'Taker 'Mania match and maybe the last great Undertaker match period. Because the next year everything changed.
Brock Lesnar was the next 'Mania opponent / expected victim. The hype going into the match was nonexistent. For the first time in years, the World Title match was more eagerly anticipated than the Undertaker match.
The match itself wasn't good. The concussion Undertaker suffered during didn't help. Neither did the fact it went 20+ mins (in contrast to the quick formula that acclaimed Lesnar matches wound up following – until they didn't anymore). And also… maybe no-one expected Lesnar to win. (Except Sergei – or so he claims!)
But then he did.
The moment the ref's hand hit the mat for the third time was an all-time shocker. I remember watching with a mate and we just looked at each other shocked. Was it a botch, did 'Taker forget to kick out? Something must have happened. But then "21-1" went up on the Tron … and it was real.
It was the launchpad for Lesnar’s rocket-boost push. But for 'Taker, it was the beginning of the end.
He came back the next year and beat Bray Wyatt at 'Mania 31. In the summer of 2015, 'Taker and Brock had a fun pair of matches in a feud which saw one of the all-time great pull-apart brawl angles. But after that, it was just … nothing.
'Mania 32 was the weird Shane McMahon Hell in a Cell. 33 was the loss to Roman Reigns which was apparently the retirement of 'Taker until it wasn't. 34 saw the “will The Undertaker accept John Cena’s challenge” story end in an impromptu 154-second match. 'Mania 35 would not feature The Undertaker. It would be only the third one he had missed since his 1990 debut … but unlike 10 (sabbatical because of wear and tear) and 16 (groin injury) this 'Mania absence was a creative choice.
Undertaker would go on to be the main attraction for the initial Saudi Arabia shows. Among the hijackings and backlash from the media for running shows after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi were two truly awful matches that first involved him and Kane facing Shawn Michaels and Triple H in late 2018 and then a match in 2019 against Bill Goldberg. The jury was out now: 'Taker was washed.
And I think Mark Calaway knew it too, because the A.J. Styles match at 'Mania 36 would not only be the final WrestleMania match of the career of Mark Calaway / The Undertaker, it would be his final match period. If you count it as a match at all.
The fact it took place in a “cinematic” match in what WWE called a Boneyard Match instead of a wrestling ring, because of the Coronavirus pandemic, (and possibly also to cover for just how washed the man was by this point) and that after Corona restrictions lifted he never went back to have a final dance in front of a live crowd showed you that he knew it was over.
Once it was over, Mark dropped the pretence. No longer in the gimmick that made him famous, he now does podcasts and reaction videos on YouTube. When he makes guest appearances on WWE shows or sports events, he's in his 2000-2003 getup – maybe the true spirit of Mark Calaway.
Calaway now is part of the brain trust of WWE-owned AAA creative with Jeremy Borash. Imagine saying that out loud in 2009 to another wrestling fan. They would totally think you were a weirdo. It wouldn’t surprise me if TKO were to make the call to Calaway to replace Paul Levesque if he should leave his position as head booker of WWE, (I’m not calling it the "CCO"!) If that happens, it would be a surreal landing spot considering he never seemed specifically interested in that side of the business like colleagues such as Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
I don't think that anyone ever had The Undertaker penciled as a future booker of pro wrestling, But then again, when Ted DiBiase announced his mystery partner at the 3rd annual Survivor Series, no one expected Mark Calaway to last longer than anyone else did on that card, bar WWF lifer, Shawn Michaels. (Trivia note – the third longest-lasting wrestler from that Thanksgiving show is Crush of Demolition.)
Have I convinced you that The Undertaker is one of the G.O.A.T. 100? Maybe not. But there are enough top feuds, top matches and achievements in the career of Mark Calaway to justify his spot. The Undertaker caught the imaginations of fans of the company he dominated for two and a half decades. He helped WrestleMania become the big event it became, and he saw his promotion through from the New Generation Era to the Attitude Era. In my mind, he is one of the 100 Greatest.
Also, it was either him or Abdullah the Butcher!
G.O.A.T. 100 Portal
Links to all GOAT100 profiles published so far
G.O.A.T. 100 Image Grid
Comments